I know this is a strange thing to blog about or even review, but what the hell – here goes. I’m bored. If the title of this post doesn’t interest you, you’ll probably be bored very quickly too. Otherwise if you’ve got one of these, or thinking about getting one, please feel free to read on.
I live in a barn conversion. It’s a long story that I’ll not bore you with, but basically the conversion wasn’t designed or built particularly well. There’s a whole host of problems with it. One of the biggest oversights was not including easy access to the roof space. There’s also quite a few tiny gaps to the outside world where the roof meets the outside walls etc.
Over the years mice have liked living in my nice warm loft. I don’t particularly mind them being there, which is fortunate as I have no access to them to set traps and remove them. Equally, they can’t get into the main house (very easily) to set traps to remove me. If I was being a bit of a twat, I’d say that we have a reasonably harmonious symbiotic relationship. Otherwise, if I didn’t want to sound like a total knob, I’d say that I can live fairly happily alongside my furry friends.
If you know me, you’ll probably know that I’m a bit of a wuss when it comes to spiders. I hate them. Really hate them. So perhaps this isn’t the best place for me to live. I get some HUGE ones here – at least big enough to put a saddle on. They find their way in via the gaps that I mentioned earlier, eat a load of pies, grow some fur and promptly terrorise me when I least expect it. I had one crawl over my head the other week whilst I was in bed. I wasn’t impressed and frankly nearly shat myself.
Depending on quite how well you know me, you may also know that I sometimes have real problems getting to sleep. So lately I’ve been lying awake at night thinking that a big horse sized spider is going to attach itself onto my face ‘Alien’ stylee, accompanied by a background noise of scampering mice and loud chewing noises. It’s all frankly not been helping me doze off.
Anyway, when I was channel hopping the other day I flicked past a tv shopping channel. They were selling electronic “Pest Repellers”. Perhaps I’ve been living in the dark ages, but I’ve never heard of them before and to be honest, they sound like a total scam. But I quite liked the idea of ridding myself of two headaches. So off I toddled to ebay and bought two “Vermatik 4 in 1 Pest Repellers” (much cheaper than the ones on telly!). Anyway a week ago, they arrived.
The ones I got are supposed to:
- Have some kind of ultrasonic noise that insects/rodents don’t like.
- Put some weird electromagnetic wave through the mains wiring loop in the house.
- Have some ionic thing which purifies the air.
- Have a sexy nightlight.
The plan was, buy the things on ebay, then flog them on ebay again if they don’t work. Couldn’t lose. It was a plan with no drawbacks. So what’s happened after a week of it being plugged in?
Well the blue night light is frankly pathetic. It lights up about a square centimetre of space. The thing also clicks quite loudly sometimes and I swear I can hear a high pitch noise occasionally (hopefully it’s not tinnitus!).
Unless I’d read the leaflet about the air purifier part I’d never have known to be honest – that’s frankly a waste of time – there ain’t nothing that can cleanse the air of the scent of my socks.
I know, what about the pest repeller part? Well, the first couple of nights, there actually seemed to be a lot more, quite loud mice scampering. Since then it does seem to have lessened and I’ve not heard any mice at all for a good 48 hours. There was however an enormous, Val Kilmer sized spider in my bath the other morning. I honestly thought he was going to ask me to loofah his back whilst it played with my rubber duck and toy boat. But other than that and the odd money spider, I’ve not seen any spiders either in the last week.
Anyway, I know it’s early days and I’m still VERY skeptical about this whole electronic pest repeller thing, but the early signs for me are quite promising. Perhaps the mice have just gone on their summer hols for a week or two and perhaps the spiders are currently formulating some kind of ingenious plan to rubber duck me to death.
The manual does say wait 2-4 weeks for results (which is probably quite conveniently so that your statutory rights have well and truly lapsed by then!), so I’ll leave them running a while longer.
But are my hopes of a spider and mouse free night up unnecessarily? Has anyone else had any luck with these things or is the above pure coincidence and it’s really just an empty little box with lil’ flashy lights on?
Oh, and you can betcha ass that two seconds after I post this they’ll be spiders and mice galore in my flat.
[edit] Just remembered… this particular device stupidly hangs down quite a long way below the plug socket (see pic), so if you’ve got a lot of very low plug holes like me, you might be limited where you can actually plug this bad boy in! [/edit]
[edit 2] Yup, as predicted, I’ve just found a Laurence Fishburne sized spider in the hall! [/edit 2]
I bought one of these repellers and so far so good. It’s been in for a few days now but I am still nervous I am going to bump into one in the hallway or one run across my lounge floor. I get bigs ones here too and I live alone so can’t get anyone else to get rid of them. I have also put conkers around the house, in corners of rooms as apparently spiders hate the smell of conkers (apparently). My repeller instructions do say though that the sonic waves (or whatever they are) cannot go through walls. Fingers crossed I haven’t jinxed myself now. I also do the duvet thing every night and my pillows lol.
i have these, but got no instructions. which is the strongest signal, 1 or 2?
Have just been given one of these from a friend but it has no instructions with it!
Whats the difference between the ‘ionic option and the U.M.I option?
I’m wanting to get rid of spiders, not mice if that makes a difference?
Thanks.
After a very traumatic night of massive hand size black things everywhere in my new house ( which is over 100yrs old) i have just plugged this 4in1 in……….. I’m praying it will work, i have such a fear i cannot breath when i come across one! i swear they are trying to get me! …….. I’m going to buy another one for the upstairs of the house so if two don’t do the trick! i think i will move out and the Black hairy 8 legged can have the house :(
Hi Angelina, hope it does work for you, can take a few weeks though to completly convince the spiders they don’t want to live alongside you. So during this time you might want to get a spray or something. My favourite is Tesco’s Daisy Bathroom Cleaner its about 50p and has not yet failed to kill a spider, despite it not being what it says on the tin its excellent xx
Had these for a while and to start with seemed effective but we’ve now had a mouse (earlier this year) and 2 large spiders (in last 2 weeks) wonder round. Tried changing the frequency but it appears that these are no longer as effective as before.
Either –
1) they’ve developed a fault and so not working properly.
2) mice and spiders have got used to them
May go for the turn off for a week and see what happens
Hi all, well heres an update…….. So far only had one massive one in the house since getting the 4.1 and now have another plugged in upstairs :) i really hope it continues to reduce them, Thanks Kiama i will go and get some of that today and try it always good to have a back up :) xx
My cat has had some lil visitors! I’m thinking of purchasing the vermatik repeller just in case there are any left lurking under the floorboards (already ripped up carpets in a paranoid late night flea busting episode!!) Any info welcome. xxx
please please tell me how to get the 4 in1 pest repeller,its the only gadget in my opinion ,that does the job, -AND sa
In June/july i purchested two vermatik 6 in 1pest repeller
EH057006 Serial number11003 date of manufacture
april 2011. last week one of our repellor stoped working,
My husband checked the self test checks and that did not work either. please could you help me with an address or phone number to return my faulty repeller.
ms
Hi Maureen, I think i may still have the paperwork at home so I will check and if I can find it I will post details next time I am online x
Tel No 0844 8000031
Does anyone know how long these are supposed to last?Forever? I’ve had mine quite a while now and they seem to have stopped working. Thanks.
In case anyone is still keeping up with this blog…I’ve been searching the Web for reviews of these devices and they seem to be mixed; about as many people say “Yea! Greatest invention ever!” as say “It’s a scam!” My problem currently is bedbugs. I’m using DE (diatomaceous earth) because I know it works with fleas and I really don’t want to go through the bag-everything-you-own dance that exterminators require. Problem with DE, either you have to hit the bug with it or he has to crawl across it. So I’m wondering if anyone has used these with bb’s and what results they’ve had.
Hi Chris,
Yes the reviews are very mixed and no I have no idea whether they work with bed bugs. In fact the only thing I believe them to help with are the big spiders, as I still have little skinny spiders and during the recent heat the occasional fly, also when I had a mice infestation they weren’t at all bothered by the repeller. But if you can get hold of one cheap enough it is worth trying, they don’t span as far a distance as advertised so you’ll need it close by to the bed. Enjoy the nightlight if nothing else x
I bought a couple of these on ebay a few years ago, after seeing signs of mice and hearing tiny footsteps! Definitely seem to have made a difference. They have a setting that continually changes the sound/frequency, which I believe is most effective (so long as it doesn’t upset any dog/cat pets, etc).
Thanks for post. I also have the same reseller bu have only had it one week and am still hearing mice activity. But on first time I plugged it in I heard what sounded like mice making a run for it , but they still seem to be around. And have been eating my food ( chewing through bags etc as well)) so I’m hoping they’re just trying to fill up before they leave. I’m interested to know how yours is working now!
I’m just sending this as i forgot to tick that I’d like notification of replies
Thanks for the reviews. I am staying in a guest house and the room is fitted with a 4-1. I was told not to unplug it. I was told it was an ionser which controls the ions in the air. I did not know what an ioniser does, so after three weeks – this morning – I decided to search the web and found this blog. Well, NO sign of any insects at all or any other little creaturs, but my skin has become very dry since moving to the Kent coast and I wondered if it had anything to do with the ‘ioniser’ in the room or is it smply the norm for the Kent coast.
Hi Theresa Jill,
I live on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent and I too have had drier skin than when I lived in Milton Keynes, I think its the hard water more than anything else hun x
Hello – this may be a stupid question but is there any difference between the Vermatik 6 IN 1 and the Vermatik 4 IN 1? Which one is best to get?
I bought mine for my conservatory as the previous owner had one and said it was brill.
I moved in and was absolutely plagued with flies which died all over the place because of the heat.
I plugged in the pest deterer a few days ago and not a single fly. Whole load of bees/wasps trying to get in though lol, and I hope it isnt harmful on my cats and dog.
And I forgot to tick the notification too!
This stuff’s a load of bull. I’ve taken a picture of a spider sitting right beside my Vermatik Pest Repeller! It’s a big scam! The only indication that it’s working is the light on the front of it – and the light was on whilst the medium sized spider happily sat next to it for a couple of hours. I’ve gotten bold and learned to get rid of them myself. I have a hand held spider catcher (took me a while to use it!) – for those larger spiders I used to find in low corners or under the stairs, then place them in a bush across the road. I regularly swipe my skirting boards with lemon/citrus oil and zoflora disinfectant. I’ve not had any spiders (or they’ve learned to hide from me) in a good few years. If I ‘feel’ one I’ll hunt around for it but I rarely find one…must be in the walls. I get rid of them as soon as I see them and with most furnishings and walls being cream or beige (a must!) I see them straight away. They now know if they come onto my property, they will go straight to spider heaven!
I found the only thing that worked was my cat. I got a cat and never saw spiders in the house after that.
Hi All,
Ive just moved into a property with one of these things flashing away happily. I must say we don’t seem to have many spiders about the place, We did have a rat in the garden, which is now gone(not by use one of these!) I searched internet to find out what it does, as didn’t have a clue.
im going to try plugging it in our workshop as we have some hairy 8 legged beasts in there atm.
so will let you know how that goes, I hope the use of all the electric is worth it!?
I purchased model no acp41 for a workshop it seems to work well cleaned it over an d moved the controls but I cannot find the instructions is possible for you to send me a copy by post if possible many many thanks it seems a shame not to use it again as it seem to work fine Howard
I can’t post them to you, but I can provide links to view the instructions online for my old ACP41, which you can find here and here.
It really works.
How long before you need to replace it